The first thing I did in the US was HBO show In Treatment â it was one of the most fulfilling jobs I’ve ever had. Now, I feel that Jane Eyre is a big accomplishment for me. Jane is a great character and so many people love and connect to her story. At its core, it’s still very modern: it’s about a young girl trying to find a connection in a very dislocated world, and about finding love and a family. The themes have a universality and, for that reason, people can always relate to them.

It seems like you really inhabit your characters. Would you agree?

My favourite actors are the ones who make you forget who they are in real life. I like disappearing into someone else’s skin. It helps me to embody them.

Did wearing those corsets help you get into character?

I hated wearing them â they’re so uncomfortable. But getting into full costume really helped me to understand the physical repression that women experienced at that time. The clothing they had to wear went hand in hand with the mental and emotional repression they also felt âthis was a huge part of Victorian culture. Once the corset was on, I couldn’t really take in a whole breath, I couldn’t eat very much and I couldn’t move as freely due to the discomfort it caused. It was painful.

What’s the secret to your chemistry with Michael Fassbender?

He has a really fantastic energy and is very worldly and so friendly. I feel like we got on very well from the beginning. We have a similar way of working and we were able to counter the intensity of the material by being goofy in between shoots. We channelled all the positive energy that we had intothe material.

What kind of pressure have you felt working so hard from a young age?

There are two very different ways of learning â being in school and being here doing this. Both have pros and cons. Although I know and enjoy this practical way of learning best, the difficult thing is that I feel like the mistakes I make or the things I do which aren’t perfect leave a real mark, which doesn’t always happen in school. But having people remind you how lucky you are really helps.